It's best if you plan the decor of your living room with the lighting in mind. The most important fixture for creating the right mood is the table lamp. So place table lamps in strategic places like the side tables on either side of your sofa or next to the armchair where you like to sit and read. You can also place table lamps on a sideboard, a wet bar or a chest. Table lamps act like accent lights, lighting up only their surrounding areas. They create interest in the room because there are pockets of light and shadow and the different areas in the room are lit selectively. If your room only had a ceiling light, the entire room would be uniformly and, perhaps, quite brightly lit, creating an uninviting, cold feel.

Sconces, or wall sconces if you prefer, are a very popular lighting fixture with models designed for both indoor and outdoor use. Wall sconces generally don't jut out too far from a wall, like wall lamps can, and are usually fixed in a single position. They can be uplights or downlights, and some designs can even be mounted in either position. This feature just adds to the sconce's versatility. Sconces work well in almost any room, but are ideal for halls and entryways, and can even work well in dining rooms.

Skylights. Skylights aid in bringing the daylight into your living room. If you need to light up an area that doesn't have a lot of ceiling space, you should use tubular skylights. The good side with these fixtures is that they collect and channel daylight from a collector on the roof to a diffuser in the room's ceiling without the need of you installing a finished skylight.